* Combine the sugar , walnuts and cinnamon , set aside for later use .

* In a large bowl , combine 1 1/4 cups of the flour and the yeast . Set aside .
* In a small saucepan , heat and stir the milk , sugar , butter and salt just until warm ( about 120 to 130°F ) and butter almost melts . Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture ; add egg . Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds , scraping the sides from time to time ; beat on high speed for 3 minutes more . Using a wooden spoon , stir in a much of the remaining flour as you can . (At this time , I dumped in all the remaining flour , just added a sprinkle of extra flour to the dough while kneading as it was still a bit sticky )
* Turn dough in a lightly floured surface , knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smoother and elastic - 3-5 minutes total . Shape dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl , turning once to grease the surface . Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size , about 1 to 1 1/2 hours .
* Grease baking sheet and set aside . Punch down dough and turn out in a lightly floured surface , cover and let rest for 10 minutes . Roll out dough into a 20-x-10-inch rectangle , brush with 2 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon/sugar/walnuts mixture ; starting from the long side , roll up the dough into spiral , cut into 8 slices ; be careful not to cut all the way through, snip or cut each slice into quarter . Place slices seam sides down , 3 inches apart on the pan ; cover and let rise for another 30 or 45 minutes in a warm place until double in size .
* Preheat oven to 350°F/ 180°C . If desired , brush rolls with water and a sprinkle of sugar before baking .
* Bake for 12 to 15 or until golden brown .

* To poach the cherries : In a small saucepan combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium-high-heat . When it reaches a boil , reduce the heat to a simmer and add cherries . Cook until cherries are soft and cooked through , about 5 minutes .
* Remove from the heat and let cherries cool completely in the syrup . Once cool , drain the cherries ( save the syrup for other uses ) and squeeze the pits out of the fruit . Chop cherries into a 1/4-inch pieces ; refrigerate until you're ready to churn the ice cream .

* Prepare the nuts by toasting in a preheated oven , 350°F/180°C , for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and smell nutty . Let cool completely .
* Combine cooled nuts and and sugar in a food processor . Pulse until very finely ground ( about the consistency of the sand ) . Do not over process or the mixture will become oily and pasty .
* Transfer the almond mixture to a saucepan and stir in the cream , milk and salt .
* Cook over medium high-heat and when mixture just begins to bubble around the edges , remove from heat and cover the pan ; let steep for about 20 minutes or until a distinct almond flavor has infused into the mixture
* In a medium bowl , , whisk egg yolks just to break them up ; set aside .
* Reheat the almond mixture over medium-high heat ; when the mixture approaches a bare simmer , reduce the heat to medium . Scoop out some hot cream mixture and whisking the yolks constantly add the hot cream mixture into it , pour back the egg-and cream mixture from the bowl into the pan .
* Cook mixture over medium heat ,stirring constantly until thickened , coats the back of a spatula or a spoon and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula/spoon , about 1 to 2 minutes longer .
*Strain the mixture , ( use a chinois if you want a very smooth ice cream or a regular fine-mesh strainer for a more rustic-textured ice cream ) Set the container into an ice-water bath to cool . Cool completely before chilling the mixture in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight .
* Churn the mixture in the ice cream maker , adding the chopped cherries in the last minute or so of churning . Transfer in a container and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight .

* Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat ; add onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes , then add thyme and tomatoes and bring to a simmer .
* Simmer gently , uncovered , stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened ( I added the cream cheese after the sauce has thickened a little bit ) ; add a little water during the cooking process if the sauce thickens too much ; remove and discard the thyme stems and season with salt and pepper .

* Combine the minced chicken , breadcrumbs , parsley , mustard and egg in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper . Gently mix until just blended ; be careful not to over mix the mixture as it will toughen up .
* Form mixture into 8-12 meatballs , dipping your hands in a bowl of cold water to stop chicken mixture from sticking .
* Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat ; cook meatballs until golden brown all over , about 6-8 minutes . Transfer the meatballs to the tomato sauce and simmer gently until meatballs are cooked through , about 10 minutes .
* Meanwhile , bring a large pot of salted water to the boil , add the fettuccine and cook according to package direction .
* To serve , you can either add the fettuccine to the sauce or divide pasta between four serving bowl and pour over the meatballs and sauce evenly between the four bowls of pasta ; sprinkle the grated cheese .

Monday, September 17, 2012

Bananas here are cheap especially at the market , a bunch ( about 5-7 pieces ) for 5 bucks ....

It's my first time to try Dole bananas , I usually buy Del Monte but if I get to choose between the two , it'll be Dole ....

Come to think of it , I love Dole canned pineapple compare to Del Monte which I find a little bit mushy -__-

But it's neither here nor there , let's go back to banana muffins lol

Instead of using chocolate in this muffins I used my remaining butterscotch chip and I like this combo more ; I also reduced the sugar as both the bananas and the chips are already sweet and let's not forget the sweet crumb topping !

If you like you may omit the crumb topping but I like the crunchy texture of it in contrast to the soft almost cupcakey texture of the muffin .

* Mix the dry ingredients with the butter by hand until mixture is pea-sized ; the mix can be stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks .

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* Preheat oven to 190°C ; lightly grease muffin tins or use paper muffin cups .
* In an electric mixer on medium speed , cream together the butter , sugar and vanilla .
* Sift the remaining dry ingredients together in bowl .
* Add egg to the butter mixture and blend until combined .
* Add 1/4 cup of the sour cream to the butter mixture , then half of the dry ingredients , mixing and repeating with the remaining sour cream and then the remaining dry ingredients until the batter is combined . Be sure to end with the dry ingredients .
* Fold in the choco chunks and bananas until evenly mixed .
* Spoon batter into muffin tins , leaving room on the top for the Crumb Mix ; top each muffins with 1 tbsp of the crumb mix . Bake for 25 to 33 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean .

* Grease or flour a baking sheet and set aside . Sift flour and salt into a large bowl , then rub in the butter . Stir in yeast , cheese and dried herbs . Make a well in the center , then add the milk and enough water , mixing to form soft dough .
* Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic . Shape the dough into round , then place it in a lightly oiled bowl , cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size .
* Knock back the dough on a lightly floured surface , then divide it into half . Roll each piece into a long sausage or rope shape and place them side by side , pinching them together at one end to seal Loosely plait the ropes of dough together , then pinch them together at the other end .
* Place the plait on the baking sheet , cover and leave to rise again for about 30 minutes or until double in size .
* Meanwhile , preheat oven to 190°C . Lightly brush the plait with a little extra milk . Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the bread is risen , golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath . Transfer to a wire rack to cool . Serve in slices .

* Butter and flour 24 financier moulds or 12-hole muffin tin and put them in the fridge so the butter sets .
* Melt butter in the pan over high heat until it starts to brown ; strain through a fine sieve and let cool .
* Combine the flour , almonds and sugar in a bowl , fold in the egg whites and stir in the sultanas and the butter . Chill for an hour or overnight .
* Heat oven oven to 190°C ; pour mixture into the moulds and bake for 10-15 minutes , until golden brown and risen in the centre ; let cool before removing from the tins .

*** I added chopped pitted fresh cherries to the bottom of 6 moulds before adding the batter , 2 whole cherries in 2 moulds and leave some financier plain .

Saturday, September 8, 2012

It's September in this side of the world but it feels like it's still mid-summer ugh !

The shops are in full throttle displaying winter (un)necessities ! ^___^''

But outside ?! It's about 32°C tsk tsk

Hey ! I just love carping about the weather ! lol

At least I still have more time to make ice cream !

Coffee is definitely my first choice when making ice cream , I may try different flavor now and then for variety ...

But that flavor is the most satisfying .....

Much as I would like to buy whole coffee beans , I find it too expensive for my taste heh !.....

And I'm just low maintenance when it comes to coffee , a cup of instant coffee , coming right up ! lol

Luckily , the ever generous Missus So , bought me 2 packs of ground Vietnamese coffee and a friend also gave me this Viennese blend ......

As plain coffee ice cream won't do this time , of course , something needs to be added .....

That's the best thing about making your own ice cream or if you don't have any inclination to make your own , just buy the best quality ice cream you can afford and add everything you want in there , presto !

Who wants plain when sky is the limit when it comes to ice cream ?! hee hee

I bet Häagen Dazs or Ben & Jerry's doesn't have this combo ?! I've said it before , right ?! lol

* Toast almonds in a wok , stirring from time to time to prevent burning , until lightly brown or bake it in the oven . Let cool .
* Pour the milk and cream in a saucepan then add the ground coffee , stir over low heat for 5 minutes , without boiling ; turn off heat and leave to steep for at least 15 minutes . Strain the mixture and return to the pan .
* Whisk the yolks and sugar in a small bowl until well combined ; reheat the coffee mixture and add the instant coffee , stir until dissolved ; then add some to the yolks and sugar mixture , whisking as you pour to prevent the the yolk mixture from curdling ; pour back the mixture into the saucepan and cook , without boiling , until the mixture thickens . Set aside to cool completely then chill in the fridge
* Churn mixture in an ice cream maker for 20-30 minutes , add the almonds and choco-chips alternately during the last 3 minutes of churning . Transfer in a plastic container and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight .

* Place a teaspoonful of the filling in the middle of the wrapper , moisten the lower edge of the wrapper ; fold the wrapper in half to enclosed the filling ; press gently to seal the edge ; hold the wonton lengthwise between your hands with the folded edge facing down ; fold the sealed edge of the wonton back on itself then lightly moisten one corner of the folded edge with water , then taking the two ends in your fingers bring them together with a twisting action and press tightly to join . Repeat with the rest .